Alec Baldwin emphasizes his family ties in Syracuse in a Landmark appearance

Actor Alec Baldwin, on a whirlwind visit to Syracuse this weekend, made his first major public appearance personal.

Baldwin is the star of, among many things, the NBC comedy “30 Rock,” an admitted possible New York state politician, and a frequent flyer to Syracuse.

Tonight, he wove his mother, Carol’s, very public fight against cancer with “Gasland,” writer-director Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary that has become the symbol for those opposed to hyrdrofracking for natural gas in the Marcellus shale, which runs through Central New York.

“I loved the film and what it was saying,” Baldwin said after the Landmark Theatre screening Baldwin organized. “Then I realized, my mother is up here. My mother has been here since 1987, she’s been here 25 years. She’s originally FROM here. After my dad passed away — we grew up on Long Island — my mother and my sisters and their children relocated up here and have been members of this community for 25 years.

“So it’s like the old joke: You want to say to people, ‘Am I up here showing Josh Fox’s movie for my health?’ Actually I am. For my health and the health of my family.”

Newly trimmed-down Baldwin, in a two-piece blue suit with blue shirt and a gray, blue and red tie, was part actor, part moderator, part hometowner. He deflected attention to a panel of guests. He played the crowd. He praised the preservation of the Landmark Theatre and wished all of his movie premieres could be there. He joked. He was passionate and political — if hot-button issues such as hydrofracking are interpreted as political.

Alec Baldwin on FrackingIn response to a reporter's question (tied to his mother Carol Baldwin's involvement in the fight against breast cancer), Alec Baldwin muses on the effect of knowing that a particular activity is harmful to one's health, then discusses the economic impact of hydraulic fracturing in New York State. Baldwin was in Syracuse for a screening of the film "Gasland" at the Landmark Theatre Saturday, June 2, 2012, and panel discussion on fracking.

Baldwin was multitasking in Syracuse this weekend.

Famous for his Twitter account, he tweeted on Friday that he was “renting a Buick LaCrosse out of Syracuse Airport. Very good car,” later noting he wasn’t paid to endorse it. Buick tweeted back that even though he wasn’t paid, it thanked him for the shout-out (during a brief press conference after the "Gasland" screeing, when others were speaking, Baldwin reached for his phone and texted).

With one of his sisters, Baldwin spent part of Friday night at the Taste of Syracuse festival in downtown Syracuse.

Baldwin was also scheduled to participate Sunday in a fundraising event for West Genesee modified sports. A 4-mile run and a 1.5-mile walk are planned for 9 a.m. The route begins and ends at West Genesee High School in Camillus. Registration costs $35 until 8:30 a.m. today. Registration includes admission to a challenge softball game between West Genesee Middle School and Camillus Middle School faculty and staff. Baldwin will be a special guest umpire. The softball game will begin immediately after the race ends, around 10:30 a.m. There also will be raffles during the softball game.

The actor was also spending time with family. Baldwin’s mother, Carol, and sisters, Beth and Jane, live in the Syracuse area.

While the crowd of a few hundred was mostly friendly, there were some puzzled by what they thought was an imbalance in the panel, which was made up of people opposed to hyrdrofracking (Baldwin said he did try to get representatives of the natural gas drilling companies and politicians to participate, but got little response).

"It's a dated movie,'' said Kathleen Bertuch of DeWitt. "It's wonderful to alert people to this. But to put it out there as the end-all and be-all is a disservice to the community. This event is a little too emotional and one-sided."

After viewing "Gasland," Baldwin said he thought of his mother and her battle against breast cancer.

"When you can prove ... an activity can potentially cause cancer, that’s a no brainer. (People) know how to react,'' said Baldwin.

And Baldwin brought it back to the Landmark Theatre and the years-long efforts to preserve the movie palace.

"(It's) one of the most famous buildings here in Syracuse and Central New York, which is a testament to how much people believe in preservation,'' said Baldwin. "We’re asking people to have the same feeling about the water supply of Central New York that they have for this building in downtown Syracuse."